By Deanna Anderson
Who would think about naming their business Jz Bzzz other than a beekeeper with the first name of Jay?
Jay Mathiason started with six bee hives in 1996; he has since expanded his bee business and created Jz Bzzz.
Mathiason has a building in Coleridge that he works out of but he sets his hives out on land that is closer to the river.

“I look for land that might be in the ten years program to set the hives on,” said Mathiason. “The bees have to have flowers. Sweet clover and alfalfa make the best white honey.”

In the fall of the year the bees will use the pollen from goldenrod and other wild flowers.

The taste of the honey varies according to the flowers the bees use.

“The honey from wildflowers and goldenrod does not taste as good but that honey will stay in the hives. The bees eat it during the winter to survive,” said Mathiason. “I also feed them corn syrup in the fall and spring.”

There is more work and travel than one might imagine with beekeeping.

“There is more expense with bees than people realize; especially now that fuel cost has gone up,” Mathiason said.

Bees need a nectar and pollen source throughout the year.
Mathiason’s bees are taken to California for the winter months. During February they are in the almond groves; by March they will be in southeast Texas.
There are killer bees in the wild in Texas but they do not usually cause any problems.
Honey is collected only once a year, usually in late July or early August.
Seventy pounds of honey per hive is the average for the State according to Mathiason.
The bees live in the hives and deposit the honey into a honey super.
The honey super, which is like a flat tray with a wooden frame around it, has a plastic foundation in it.
The bees produce a wax and build a honeycomb using the plastic foundation as the starting point. The bees deposit honey in the cells of the comb.
It is after the bees cap the honey with an additional layer of wax that Mathiason pulls the super in for extraction.
Mathiason brings the supers to his building in Coleridge where he first uses a machine to break the cap loose.
“The cap has to be broken loose to get to the honey,” said Mathiason. “Then I put the frames in the extractor and it spins the honey and the wax to the walls of the extractor.” Next it goes to a heated barrel and it is pumped into a wax separator. The honey comes out into a honey tank and is put into ‘food grade’ barrels to sell at wholesale prices; the wax is put in barrels and will be melted later.
Mathiason will sell the wax or trade it for supplies for his business.
“We sell the raw honey to packers,” said Mathiason. “Ours goes to Golden Heritage Foods
From the location in Coleridge the honey from Jz Bzzz can end up anywhere across the U.S.
Jz Bzzz can sell honey on a farmers market and there is always quart jars filled with the delicious honey for sale at Tooties Restaurant in Hartington.
“Bacteria will not grow in raw honey,” said Mathiason. “Honey never spoils unless something else is mixed with it. It can get sugary though.”
Since Mathiason extracts honey he has to be registered with the Federal government.
His hives and every barrel of honey have to be labeled.
“After 911 we had to register our honey so the Federal government can track all food to its origin,” said Mathiason.
Beekeepers or apiarists do have a few obstacles to overcome in their business; they have to keep the hives free of pests and disease.
Mites are a big problem; a mite can get on a bee’s back according to Mathiason.
Lately beekeepers have had some difficulties with a black beetle which gets into the hives.
Last year, Mathiason seen the deadly affects from Colony Collapse Disorder which is a fairly new disease.
“The scientists are testing to see what it is; it could be caused by a chemical build-up in the bees,” Mathiason said. “The disease is across all of the U.S.”
The weather can also have an impact on beekeepers.
Bees normally prefer hot dry weather; when the weather is rainy they do not fly as much.
Northeast Nebraska was a good place to raise bees – one of the best according to Mathiason. The number of beekeepers has been dwindling in this area over the last few years though.
“Sweet Clover and other clovers used to be plentiful in this area; you don’t see as much clover growing here anymore. The crops are bigger in South Dakota and North Dakota; there is more clover because there is less spraying,” said Mathiason.
Other than a hat and veil, Mathiason just wears regular clothing when he is working with bees.
Mathiason said he has been stung by the bees a lot of times.
Other than the pain and swelling from his share of bee stings Mathiason enjoys beekeeping.
It is nice to work out in the country side he said.
Mathiason attended school in Laurel and lived a number of years in Oklahoma.
Jay and his wife Carlene have lived in Coleridge for the last 15 years. Both of their children, Jayson and Courtney graduated from Coleridge High School.
Jayson helps his Dad out with the beekeeping business.